
Playing with the beats you come to expect from such an exorcism feature, The Ritual sets itself up with two priests – the devotee and the doubter – who go head-to-head on hoping to save a poor soul who has been inhabited by a certain evil. It’s a standard practice, and many films have made good on such, but why two reliable actors in Dan Stevens and Al Pacino agreed to take part in David Midell‘s taxing “horror” film is anyone’s guess; perhaps they’re repenting for previous sins?
The type of film we’d expect Russell Crowe to barge his way through, The Ritual takes inspiration from the real-life case of exorcism from 1928 involving Emma Schmidt which, according to the on-screen scroll here, “remains the most thoroughly documented and well-known exorcism in American history.” That’s a big call, and should make way for a fascinating feature, but through jarring and, quite frankly, annoying camera work that feels invasive and jitters with restlessness, The Ritual feels more like an offshoot of The Office than a legitimate scare piece.
Pacino and Stevens try to make as much of it work as they can with somewhat understated turns, but The Ritual needs Pacino to go full Crowe to keep our attention across its taxing 98 minutes. What remains is the usual narrative beats, with Abigail Cowen trying her darndest to make us feel something as her Emma Schmidt succumbs to the demonic forces inside of her. There’s the usual spewing of blood, contorting her body, sprouting profanity and mild sexual suggestion. It’s probably an absolute ball for Cowen – she certainly enjoys herself more than Ashley Greene, who has a whole clump of her hair ripped out as a young nun bearing witness to Emma’s possession – but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before, which is ultimately why The Ritual can’t elevate beyond the most basic of expectation. It doesn’t do anything inventive, and what it does do, it doesn’t do well.
It’s understandable that Midell would want to lean into the story’s horrific possibilities by implementing his share of jump scares, but they practically prove more of a hinderance to the film, as it appears as if it wants to go for a serious, almost documentative mentality. That may not make for the most exciting feature, but it’s at least an angle that could differentiate The Ritual from every other exorcism outing. Instead, we have back-and-forth sequences of the straight-laced Father Steiger (Stevens) and the more crackpot Father Riesinger (Pacino) debating on Emma’s condition as Midell’s script (written in conjunction with Enrico Natale) throws about genre cliches as if they’re going out of fashion.
Ultimately, The Ritual fails on most of its accounts. Stevens and Pacino are fine, though they never deliver anything worthy of note. Cowen works with the expected material as best she can, but is unable to rise above. The narrative promises depth and importance, yet we leave feeling disappointingly empty and uninformed. A sobering reminder that reliable talent in a seemingly fruitful genre doesn’t always equate to viewing success, The Ritual deserves its own exorcism from the theatres.
ONE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
The Ritual is screening in select Australian theatres for a limited run from June 5th – 7th, 2025.